Tonight, skywatchers across America will witness a breathtaking “Cold Supermoon” — the last full moon of 2025 — glowing bigger, brighter, and soaring higher overhead than any full moon since 1949. This rare celestial triple-play combines a supermoon, the traditional December “Cold Moon” name, and an extraordinary high trajectory that hasn’t happened in three generations.
The Cold Supermoon peaks at 10:27 p.m. EST on December 4, 2025, when the moon reaches full phase just 11 hours after perigee — its closest approach to Earth — making it appear up to 14% larger and 30% brighter than an average full moon. But what truly sets this event apart is altitude: Thanks to the moon’s 18.6-year nodal cycle aligning perfectly, December’s full moon will climb to 83.8° above the horizon for observers at 40°N latitude — its highest point in the sky since January 1949 and the highest any full moon will reach until 2043.
NASA astronomer Mitzi Adams calls it “a once-in-a-lifetime overlap.” “You’re getting the brightness and size of a supermoon combined with the moon riding almost straight overhead like it does in the tropics — except this time it’s happening across the entire continental U.S.,” she explained.
The timing couldn’t be more perfect for northern viewers. At mid-northern latitudes (New York, Chicago, Denver, Portland), the moon will pass nearly through the zenith around midnight local time — an unusually lofty path that makes it appear to “tower” over rooftops and creates the famous “moon illusion” on steroids when it rises behind foreground objects. In cities like Minneapolis and Seattle, it will top 80°, higher than the summer sun ever gets in those locations.
Native American tribes and early European settlers named December’s full moon the Cold Moon or Moon Before Yule because it arrives during the onset of deep winter. Other traditional names include the Bitter Moon, Long Night Moon, and Oak Moon. This year, the Farmers’ Almanac is officially calling it the “High Cold Supermoon” to highlight its extreme elevation.
Photographers are already buzzing. “The combination of perigee brightness and near-zenith position means you can capture the moon huge and sharp without atmospheric distortion,” says veteran astrophotographer Thierry Legault, who plans to shoot it rising behind the Statue of Liberty for East Coast viewers. Social media is exploding with #ColdSupermoon and #HighestMoon hashtags as Americans share plans from Florida beaches to Montana mountaintops.
For stargazers in the Lower 48, the show starts at moonrise around sunset Thursday. Look southeast as the sun dips — the nearly full moon will rise in the opposite direction, appearing gigantic and golden through the thick lower atmosphere. By 10 p.m., it will dominate the sky almost directly overhead, washing out all but the brightest stars with its brilliance.
Weather is cooperating across much of the country: The National Weather Service forecasts clear to partly cloudy skies from the Rockies eastward, with only the Pacific Northwest and parts of Florida under cloud cover.
This Cold Supermoon closes out an epic 2025 lunar year that delivered four supermoons in a row — the most consecutive since 2018. The next time a December full moon climbs this high will be Christmas night 2043, but it won’t be a supermoon. That makes Thursday night genuinely special.
So bundle up, step outside after dinner, and look almost straight up. The Cold Supermoon is serving winter’s grand finale — bigger, higher, and more spectacular than any full moon most of us have ever seen.
*By Sam Michael*
Follow us on X and subscribe for push notifications — never miss the next sky event!